Vitae
“Although I wasn't a huge fan of the Black Pepper Maltagliati, the Butternut Squash Risotto, and the Chestnut Agnolotti were really yummy.”
“* Pulled Pork Taco's (Polenta Tuille, Avocado Mousse, Tomato Jam) – tastes exactly like it sounds – pulled pork tacos!”
“I sat at the bar with company and had the Pulled Pork Tacos, Seared Diver Scallop, and the Whole Brook Trout.”
Vitae
Takes Reservations: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Accepts Apple Pay: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Happy Hour: Yes
Coat Check: Yes
Has TV: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$$$ Price range $31-60
8 reviews
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Vitae is a great spot for a business lunch in midtown. it is upscale without being stuffy though it can be quite crowded. we snagged a spot at the bar since we didnt have a reservation.
food it good though i found some of the flavors to be redundant throughout different dishes. i really enjoyed the tartare and crudo. also the warm rolls were nice. the king crab was only ok unfortunately.
one other minor issue we had was with service. even sitting at the bar right in front of the bartender we had a hard time getting water and my main course (crab) was completely forgotten. we had to ask about it and it was then rushed from the kitchen.
Really great spot that you might accidentally pass by on 46th street. There is a lot of construction on 46th so I normally try to bypass this street but it is a great option for lunch or dinner, business or personal lunch. Here's what I like: When you walk in there is a nice casual seating area with couches where you can sit and wait for dining partners or for your table. There are also a few super comfortable booths in the front near the bar for casual dining. Waitstaff are friendly and very knowledgable about the menu. Food- spectacular and beautiful presentation. Each dish is presented in an inventive way. This is my new midtown go to spot.
Located in Midtown just an avenue shy of Times Square, Vitae is one of those relatively still undiscovered gems in the city. They offer great food and drinks with a very trendy ambiance and yet because they're still not quite as famous yet, you can easily score a table or a seat at the bar when many other Italian establishments in the city are fully booked to capacity.
I started off with their burruta. It was very fresh, and milky creamy, surrounded by diced cherry tomatoes in a green sauce. it was light and refreshing, perfect for summer.
I then ordered the full plate version of their Cacio E Pepe. They offer both a small plate for $18 and the full plate for $28, and while I normally save, tonight I was starving so I had the full plate. If you've never had cacio e pepe, its essentially similar to a Carbonara pasta except they usually don't include an egg yolk in the cacio e pepe, its a very simple but delicious pasta with just pepper, pecorino and parmesan cheeses emusified in olive oil to create a really creamy sauce. The version they offer here at Vitae was just superb.
For dessert I ordered the white chocolate ricotta cheesecake a la mode. The cheesecake was decorated with chocolate pearls, whipped cream and seasonal fresh cherries. What sets this place apart is that they lightly warm up the cheesecake in the oven to give it an even more intense flavor. For the gelato, I had a trio of 2 vanilla scoops and 1 chocolate chip scoop. Very creamy and decadent.
To end the night I ordered a warm frothy cup of Cappuccino.
I can understand why someone would rate Vitae four stars, but I couldn't quite get there.
Food: the chef certainly knows what he is doing and he has built a pretty interesting menu. There were a few of us there. Appetizers included the beef in sticky buns which were awesome, the tacos which were also awesome, the veal meatballs which were fine, but not even in the same ballpark as the veal meatballs from Osteria via di stato in Chicago, and the raw octopus which was surprisingly refreshing, delicate and tasty. Entrees included the seasonal risotto, the scallops and the salmon. No complaints anywhere. I had the risotto which was served with shrimp. It was good. I might even get it again, but it didn't blow me away.
Service: pretty good, but could have been more crisp. Had to wait a little for water refills and one of the apps was very late. But our server was polite and appeared clean.
Atmosphere: kind of hip, but professional, clean, pretty open, comfortable, maybe a little loud, but it worked fine for me.
Misc: pretty good menu. They had some crazy udon dish that I would have like to try or see. The apps were legit. Plenty more I would try. If we had awesome service, I could have probably convinced myself to offer 4 stars, but that didn't happen. That said, while it's a little expensive, I'd probably go back for a work lunch.
I work not too far from Vitae but had no idea it even existed before some friends picked the spot for a dinner last Saturday. Sometimes one must marvel at the sheer number of restaurants in Manhattan.
We were a group of 7 adults and one small child. The staff was incredibly accommodating to everyone's needs throughout the meal. And yes, the classy interior impresses.
To start, I had an old fashioned, which was sweeter than most but still very good, and made with high-quality ingredients. We also ordered a number of appetizers, two of which I tried:
-Rolls brushed with duck fat: Good, and the duck fat was a nice alternative to your usual butter or oil, but I don't know that it did all that much for me.
-Pulled pork tacos (polenta tuille, tomato marmalade, avocado mousse, lime creme fraiche): Good but smallish.
My favorite part of the meal was my main dish, the chestnut agnolotti. From the cheesy chestnut filling to the prosciutto parmesan broth, each bite was a gift. The crispy prosciutto on top added a nice umami flavor contrast to each agnolotto.
We were also gifted with extras, including the "amuse bouche" potato chip, little after-dinner (raspberry?) soda bottles, and a take-home chocolate chip cookie. Gotta love those little touches.
Get yo *life*, Vitae!
Two points to those that get the Latin reference there.
Anywhoo. After Tommy Bahama was packed to the seams, came here with a work colleague to catch up. There aren't tons of options in central midtown, but I remembered coming here for lunch and it was nice. It was busy here too for a Wednesday night, or maybe Wednesday is the unspoken "hang out with work peeps" night and I missed the memo.
The hostesses were pretty nice. Despite the fact that we didn't have a reservation, they assured us that the two businessmen at the bar would be leaving soon and we could take their seats. 15 min later we were still waiting even though there was one empty chair and one chair full of coats from a group of girls who were waiting to be seated. Rather than ask the group if they would like their coats checked and giving us the seats, the hostess asked us to wait. Ten more minutes go by and we are seated. She apologized and we kept it moving.
From there things were splendid. Our bartender/server had all the Cs: cute, courteous and chop-chop service (totally just made that up but it works). He remembered my allergy from the one time I had come here months ago! We ordered sparkling rose, two appetizers, two entrées.
My dishes were great. Tuna crudo was cut very thin and the hijiki provided a nice contrast to the mellow flavors. I got the lamb sausage cavatelli which was creamy goodness with a hint of spice. My friend enjoyed her pulled pork tacos and agnolotti. We scarfed down those naughty duck fat rolls too.
And to top it off, they gave us the cutest lil coke-bottle palate cleansers!
Yep, we *lived* at Vitae. Ok I'm done.
Amazing.
I went here for my birthday dinner and so many things were wonderful and surprising!
From the beginning, I felt that the staff was extremely attentive and put in clear effort to make my birthday dinner a special one. I was greeted with a personalized menu with my name printed in the center. We ordered the four course tasting menu and right off the bat, the waiter asked if I had anything particular in mind that I'd like to try. I mentioned pasta and throughout my four courses, I always got a little something extra that was pasta-related. The food was very tasty and well-done. Perhaps not as creative as a place like Modern but delicious nonetheless. Portion sizes are also HUGE for a tasting menu. At the end of the dinner, I got a goodie bag of fresh cookies. Definitely the perfect ending!
I definitely recommend Vitae to celebrate special occasions.
What a fantastic dining experience at Vitae! My family visited NYC this past weekend and this was our first restaurant of the trip.
I had read great reviews on Yelp and loved the modern decor of the restaurant, as well as the eclectic menu.
Our meal began with a sampling of a potato chip with a sour cream and chive sauce. It was a great presentation and had even better flavor! We ordered the duck fat rolls, fried oysters, veal meatballs and the pork steamed buns for appetizers. I do not have a bad review about any of these choices! My favorite were the pork buns. They had a spicy and tangy sauce that truly made them delicious.
For dinner, I selected the lamb loin. It came with a sweet potato purée and heirloom tomato reduction. The lamb was cooked perfectly and so tender. Two other members of our party chose the ground lamb pasta, while two others chose the duck confit. The lamb pasta was the favorite of all! It was truly delicious. Everyone greatly enjoyed their meals!
I definitely would give this restaurant 4.5 stars if I could. My only complaint is that they were out of a few bottles of wine we had requested with dinner. Other than that, this meal was simply amazing! It was a great start to our NYC trip.